Metallica frontman James Hetfield's collection of custom-built classic cars is now on display in a new 27-minute video shared online. Hetfield donated the collection to the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles in 2019, with the vehicles going on display to the public earlier this year.
While the vast majority of collectors acquire vehicles by purchasing pre-existing examples, Hetfield elected instead to build his from scratch, channeling creativity often reserved for his music into the production of what have been described as rolling sculptures.
As previously reported, a book about Hetfield's cars, Reclaimed Rust: The Four-Wheeled Creations Of James Hetfield, will be released on July 28th.
Hetfield made his first public appearance since a fall 2019 stint in rehab on January 30th, at the opening reception for the auto exhibition. He said at the time, “The Petersen is the pinnacle. It's the best place to have your vehicles. They weren't doing me much good sitting in my garage. I loved looking at them. The best part is they're all together. I didn't want to auction them off and (have them) go all over the world. It's a collection. It marks my life.”
Metallica has been at home during the pandemic, posting concerts from the band's archives and an acoustic, quarantined version of the song “Blackened.” The band has hinted at working on new music while still in self-isolation.
